Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC
International Space Station Status Report #04-4
4 p.m. CST, Friday, Jan. 16, 2004
Expedition 8 Crew
In an effort to gather more data regarding normal air pressure
fluctuations onboard the International Space Station, Expedition 8
Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri ended their
week by closing several interior hatches.
Foale and Kaleri will spend most of the weekend in a smaller portion of
the station than usual, primarily the Zvezda living quarters module.
Foale and Kaleri floated into the Zvezda shortly after 2 p.m. Central
time, closing several hatches behind them. Flight controllers will
monitor air pressure in the station modules during that time to verify
that the pressure aboard is stable and to gather baseline data on normal
air pressure fluctuations in the complex.
For the data gathering session, the Station cabin has been divided into
four sections. The one where the crew is staying includes Zvezda, the
Soyuz spacecraft, the Pirs docking compartment and the Progress cargo
vehicle. Another section includes the Unity connecting node and the
Quest airlock. A third section is the Zarya control module and
Pressurized Mating Adapter 1. The fourth section is the Destiny laboratory.
All of the hatches will be reopened Sunday afternoon.
On Jan. 11, Foale tracked down the probable cause of a slight pressure
decay that had been detected aboard the station since late December.
Foale found a leaking flex hose that is part of a system that prevents
fogging within Destiny’s window. The hose was removed and the leak
stopped. Engineers are evaluating plans to launch a replacement hose on
the next Progress supply vehicle on Jan. 29.
Earlier this week, Kaleri replaced a liquid separation unit for the
Russian Elektron oxygen generation system, restoring that system to full
function. The week also included a number of science and medical
experiment activities for the crew. Kaleri performed an assessment of
the effects of weightlessness on the inner ear using a special Russian
suit and collected air samples as part of another Russian program
designed to help assess the microbial environment aboard the ISS.
Foale conducted his second session with the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces
During Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment, gathering several hours of
additional data. For the experiment, Foale dons a special pair of
instrumented leggings that allow researchers to measure forces on the
feet, joint angles and muscle activity. Foale also participated in a
Hand Posture Analyzer investigation, which uses a special glove to
assess the changes in how humans reach, grasp, manipulate and transport
objects during long periods in weightlessness.
Information on the crew's activities aboard the Space Station, future
launch dates, as well as Station sighting opportunities from anywhere on
the Earth, is available on the Internet at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/
Details on Station science operations can be found on an Internet site
administered by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., at:
http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/
The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, Jan. 23, or earlier
if events warrant.
----
Via the sarex mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe sarex" to Majordomo@amsat.org